Latest Articles - Page 242 of 645

22Feb

By Paddy Darnell-WalshNo Comments

North West

Bouncers – Blackpool Grand

If your name’s not on the list, you’re not coming in… Bouncers is back in Blackpool with a bang! Named as one of The National Theatre’s ‘Plays of the Century’, John Godber’s classic is at the Grand Theatre for a very limited run. With a contemporary introduction for a 2024 audience, Bouncers quickly returns to its roots. Keeping faith with Godber’s original script, packed with humour and nostalgia, this new production takes us back to the 1980s when disco was king, and everyone lived for the weekend. Les, Ralph, Judd and Lucky Eric (played wonderfully by George Reid, Tom Whittaker, Nick Figgis and Frazer Hammill respectively) take us on the journey back to relive a night in nightclub “Mr Cinders”. With an exhilarating, toe-tapping 80s soundtrack, this production is as fantastic for its ...

22Feb

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

Edward Scissorhands – Empire Theatre

A magical production that is simply stunning! There is nothing like seeing a live ballet and when Matthew Bourne is the choreographer you know it will not disappoint. He is a magician of imagination and originality, bringing stories to life for contemporary audiences. Tim Burton’s gothic fantasy Edward Scissorhands, was a strange, yet hauntingly beautiful fairytale, which came to the cinema in the 1990s. Bourne developed this bittersweet story, and it was first performed in 2005 with subsequent tours. Despite seeing many of his other magnificent ballets, this was my first time seeing Scissorhands - and it was simply stunning! Bourne works his magic once again, to give us an enchanting visual feast for the eyes, as well as really bringing out the comedy moments, which the packed ho...

22Feb

By Grace AnnabelNo Comments

North West

Oliver – Northwich Memorial Court

This evening I had the pleasure of being transported back to 1830’s London for Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company’s and Mid Cheshire Youth Theatre’s production of ‘Oliver’. Following a brief hiatus from producing full-scale musical productions, I was very excited to see MCMTC tackle such an iconic classic on its welcome return to the Northwich Memorial Court. The pre-show air of keen anticipation in the auditorium was tangible. Despite the challenges of such a complex and epic show to a family audience, the stellar production team, comprising of Lou Steggals (director) Jenna Finnigan (youth director & choreographer) and Marilyn Blank (musical director) did not disappoint. The musical follows the story of Oliver, a young orphan living in Victorian England. After escaping t...

20Feb

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

I Should Be So Lucky – Hull New Theatre

If you entered Hull New Theatre on Monday evening, in a grumpy mood, I would bet my meagre life savings your grumps would soon evaporate. Stock Aitken Waterman’s feel-good musical I Should Be So Lucky was a riot of fun, joy, colour, not forgetting hit song after hit song - even though the storyline started off on a sad note. The stage setting throughout was all heart, literally. Wonderful heart shapes that changed colour and texture, fronting a video screen when more movement was needed in the storyline - such as balmy Turkish waters, hot air balloon-filled skies and thunder and lightning. Plus, a “hot air balloon” or rather its basket, was an amazing sight to behold as it floated, with its passengers, around the stage. The story centres around soon-to-be-married Ella (Lucie-Mae S...

20Feb

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

London

Dear Octopus – National Theatre

This was a tender play about family dynamics which takes its title from a speech in the second act that praises the family unit as a ‘dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape’. On the eve of World War Two, we bear witness to the reunion of the Randolph family, which forces them and their servants to confront the elements of romance, hatred, jealousy and shame that underscore their interactions. I enjoyed the wit that laced through the piece, as is characteristic of Dodie Smith’s writing. This was present in the conversation of the family quarrels, but also in repeated motifs, i.e. the fact that each character is aware of Fenny’s love for Nicholas, which added a comical touch to the action. A primary issue was the play’s dated narrative; for instance, the reason for Cynthi...

Rob Brydon ‘A Night Of Songs & Laughter’ – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

20Feb

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Rob Brydon ‘A Night Of Songs & Laughter’ – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Once upon a time in the early noughties Rob Brydon was a cult figure, beloved by those-in-the-know for Marion & Geoff, Human Remains and The Keith Barret Show. Before bobbing up into the mainstream in 2007 via Gavin & Stacey he’d been the voice of countless adverts (following the Megan incident at BBC Radio Wales), the resilience, versatility and humour developed during what was a dark(-ish) period in his professional career and personal life providing ample material for tonight’s show. Of which we wish there’d been more, but… check the title. No-one’s used the words ‘national’ or ‘treasure’ yet but they must be imminent. Accumulated over the years Brydon can draw on such a deep well of honed wit, charm and skill it’s difficult to imagine anything he does failing. Both sure-...

Guys and Dolls – Edinburgh University Footlights

20Feb

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Guys and Dolls – Edinburgh University Footlights

When you witness talent, team-work and dedication combined with youth, you know you’re onto a winner. The Edinburgh University Footlights production of Guys and Dolls was superlative. The orchestra was stellar (musical director, Emily Philips assisted by Amelia Brennan), the colourful costumes spot on (Tara Healey), the set so simple yet so effective (Holly Stephens) and the choreography was sharp, varied and hugely entertaining (Rosie Fletcher with Lyss Britton). Then, of course, there were the performers themselves: wonderful characterisation across the board was matched by confident voices and lithe bodies. Director Phee Simpson was blessed with an abundance of talent on this show. Megan Le Brocq as Miss Adelaide in this classic musical cannot be faulted. She has a rich, wide-rang...

19Feb

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Improv for Imbeciles – PA Dramatics

Many people’s first introduction to theatre is panto – not just as audience members but as actors too. But when the festivities come to an end and the January sales are over, where do budding thespians go to further their craft? Well for anyone based in and around the Liverpool area, Paul Arends has set up Improv for Imbeciles, a weekly improvisation class for beginners or anyone interested in working on their improvisation skills in a fun, no pressure environment, with classes held on Wednesday evenings from 8.30pm through to 9.30pm in Studio 1 of The Arts Bar on Hope Street, right in the heart of the Cultural Quarter. With a Diploma in Acting from LAMDA, Paul has over thirty years of experience and boundless enthusiasm, buoyed from treading the boards as a riotous panto dame th...

17Feb

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Deathtrap – The Mill at Sonning

What would you do for a great play? In Deathtrap by Ira Levin the answer turns out to be nothing good. With all the aesthetic drippings of a juicy whodunnit and a cast of characters each less winsome than the last, this play is powered by plot twists but never gathers quite enough steam to even fog up a window. Written in 1978 and set in the then not too distant future of 1979 Westport, Connecticut, Deathtrap does little to induce nostalgia in viewers even as it convincingly harkens back to the era of rotary phones, carbon copies, and illicit homosexuality. Fans of the play or film adaptation of Rope will find a dynamic worth exploring here that is ultimately left tantalizingly under investigated by the severely dated script and frustratingly conventional staging. Director Tam Willia...

Carlos Acosta’s On Before – Festival Theatre

17Feb

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

Carlos Acosta’s On Before – Festival Theatre

Carlos Acosta, one of the greatest classical dancers of the modern age, with a career that took him from the backstreets of Havana to the most famous stages in the world, is back in Scotland with his signature show On Before. On February 16th, audiences at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre were transported into Acosta's world - an electric journey through the depths of human emotion and expression. Born from personal experience and his own artistic vision, the show traces back to a pivotal moment in Acosta's life in 2010. Conceived as a homage to his late mother, it represents Acosta's most intimate and deeply personal work. Shaped by collaborations with renowned choreographers worldwide, the show's evolution reflects Acosta's commitment to his craft. As the curtains rise, the audience is invit...